Prince Charles is more popular than his son Prince William for the first time in a decade, a new poll has revealed.
Public pressure has been mounting for the crown to skip Charles and go straight to William, 30, in the event of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
But Charles, 63, has seen a surge in popularity in the past 12 months, and has now overtaken William at the people’s choice for king.
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A new poll published in The Sun to mark the queen’s Diamond Jubilee found that 51 percent of those surveyed wanted Charles and Camilla as their next king and queen, while 40 percent wanted William and 9 percent weren’t sure.
Charles’ public image nosedived when his extramarital affair with Camilla was revealed in the early 1990s and reached an all-time low after his wife Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
His excellent relationship with his sons improved his popularity, but it decliined once again when he married Camilla in 2005, with many people saying they could never accept Camilla as their queen.
Charles has publicly “loosened up” over the past few months, recently reading the weather live on air for BBC Scotland and even trying his hand at DJing.
Camilla has also been mending her public image, supporting several charities and taking royal favourite Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, under her wing.
“This poll shows that Prince Charles is now pretty much rehabilitated,” Ben Page, chief executive of Ipsos MORI which conducted the poll.
“Time heals everything and people see he has been acting in a fit enough manner to be King.
“Camilla has also been doing a tremendous job, getting on quietly with a lot of good work, and I think this has not gone unnoticed.”
The poll also showed that support for the monarchy in Britain is at an all-time high, with 80 percent supporting the queen.
This increased popularity has led to the royal family being valued at more than £44 billion ($70 billion).
This figure includes £18.1 billion in assets, including the Crown Jewels and royal palaces, and the £26.4 billion in economic benefits the royals bring to the UK through tourism and other industries.
“The Monarchy is making a significant contribution to the task of driving Britain out of recession,” Brand Finance’s Jubilee Report 2012 reports. “When special one-off events are taken into consideration, the benefit for the economy is enormous.
“Novelty mugs and tea towels aside, the public relations benefits generated through the world’s intense interest in the royal family are equally significant. The value of what is essentially free publicity for the United Kingdom when considered in the long term, is enormous.
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“The halo effect which results from the pageantry and history it represents, is something which is leveraged effectively by numerous brands, as well as the Monarchy itself, to provide a boost to both the economy and the brand of the United Kingdom currently valued at £44?billion.”
Your say: Do you want Prince Charles or Prince William as your next king?
Video: Prince Charles makes his debut as a DJ
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